Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick Library
Collections Policy
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to define the key areas of collecting interest of
the Modern Records Centre and any limitations to its collections.
Authority
Revisions to this policy must be approved by the University of Warwick.
Aims
The Centre was founded in October 1973 with the principal objectives of:
 locating primary sources for British social, political and economic
history, with special concentration on the history of industrial relations,
industrial politics and labour history.

preserving these for posterity, in the Centre, or by transfer to a more
appropriate repository.

making them available for research (involving the preparation and
disseminating of finding-aids and operation of a research facility).
Collections
The Modern Records Centre (MRC) collects records in the following areas:

Industrial relations and industrial politics at national level including the
records of trade unions and related organisations.

Records of trade associations, employers’ organisations and related
bodies.

Motor and related industry records (especially through formal
agreement with Rover/British Motor Industry Heritage Trust).

Records of radical British political movements

Records of pressure groups and other organisations concerned with
social and penal reform, human rights, disarmament, education and
health

Papers of individuals containing significant information on any of these
fields

Printed material related to any of these fields.
Geographical and other constraints

In general, industrial relations records strongly linked to a particular
area have been collected by repositories within that area, eg. Scottish
labour movement records; Yorkshire woollen industry unions;
Lancashire cotton industry unions.

The guidelines of the Society for the Study of Labour History in relation
to local labour records are in general adhered to, with the exception of
local branch records received as part of a national headquarter’s
deposit. The prior collecting interests of other repositories are
respected, eg. agricultural trade unionism at the Institute of Agricultural
History, Reading University.

The Centre reserves the right to collect material not obviously falling
within the categories above, if special circumstances obtain.
June 2006.